Patrick O'Rahilly, CEO and founder, Aspen Marketing Services (AMS)

Educating procurement departments on what value a strong DM agency brings to the table, when they con­tinually try to commoditize what we do. It's not just putting ink on paper, it's making the thinking, process and execution flawless.

What drives change at AMS?

[We're] trying to figure out how to best speak to the consumer, whether it's through the mail, by e-mail, or text messaging. If an agency can offer an integrated approach, it's going to be the clear winner going forward. I see a lot of agencies today that are focus­ing on just one channel. I think that's going to be a critical error.

What leap has your agency made to move toward DM's future?

We decided to jumpstart [our Hispanic capability] and we acquired Expe­riencia, in Chicago, [which] we've renamed Aspen Latino. We see it as a great growth sector for us, and it's growing in the marketplace. We also saw great [acquisition] opportunities in sales promotion and data analytics.

What are the marketing areas that you think will endure?

We are investing a ton of money and resources into digital and mobile mar­keting. We view the third screen as a very important tool for the future. We've invested heavily in people and technology to offer our clients best-in-class capability in that area.